A few days ago, news leaked out that upcoming Xbox One exclusive Ryse: Son of Rome would be getting its very own webseries. Today we have a trailer, and I must say, for a webseries it looks rather expensive!

Of course, this isn’t the first time Microsoft has backed up one of its exclusive titles with a lavish web production; last year’s Halo 4 had its own five episode series that told the story of Thomas Lasky’s first encounter with the Master Chief, building up to their next meeting on Requiem during the events of Halo 4. Next month’s Ryse series will be a four-parter, with new episodes to follow in the lead-up to the game’s November 22 release.

What’s interesting is that, while Forward Unto Dawn told something of a side story, Ryse: Son of Rome – The Fall (that’s a bit of a mouthful, but I suppose Ryse: The Fall sounds a bit silly) appears to be telling the ‘origin’ story of protagonist Marius Titus. From Xbox Wire:

Told through the eyes of Marius Titus, a fearless Roman soldier who must avenge the murder of his family at the hands of barbarian bandits, “The Fall” brings the world of “Ryse: Son of Rome” to life with gripping storytelling and visceral action. As Marius pursues his vengeance, he must confront the corruption, turmoil and depravity that marked the final days of Rome, and question whether he’s fighting for the empire’s honor or his own.

Surely there’s going to be significant overlap with the game? We can see Marius finding his murdered family in the story trailer, for instance. Of course, the webseries’ trailer doesn’t show a great deal, so I could be wrong. Ryse: Son of Rome – The Fall begins on November 5th on Machinima, so it’s only a matter of days until we find out either way.

As a related aside, I’m now wondering if the Man At Arms guys did all the props for the webseries, as I saw this video the other day. I found it a little weird that it was uploaded to the official Xbox Youtube channel and ends with Xbox branding – I figured it was just Microsoft recruiting Man At Arms for a bit of a PR thing, but perhaps it was for The Fall after all. It did seem like a lot of effort to go to for a five minute Youtube clip.

I absolutely loved Forward Unto Dawn, so I’m looking forward to this. As to the game itself, I’m not entirely sure; I thought the E3 reveal looked spectacular, if a little limited in playability terms. Subsequent trailers have kept my interest (including this impressive performance capture clip), but the focus on multiplayer when showing the game to the public has been a bit offputting; I like the look of the shifting arenas and I think the MP could be decent fun with a good friend, but I want to see more single player footage so I can get a feel for what I’d be spending my money on. As it is, I’m tempted to pre-order a copy simply as a graphics showcase for the new hardware. Knowing me, I’ll probably cave if I enjoy The Fall!

always nice to be get a web series! i really enjoy a web series in general i dont think i have watched one yet i dont like! with that in mind i still need to watch the halo series 😛
i would like it is it was called ryse – the fall …. just for the lol’s….. just for the lol’s